The Misunderstanding of Plus-Size Blogging

The misunderstanding of plus-size blogging, in my opinion comes from those who do not want to change or do not understand the need for change. Yesterday I read the article Fatshion Police: How Plus-Size Blogging Left Its Radical Roots Behindwhich talked about the time in fat, plus size blogging which consisted mainly of Live Journal groups and how with the new breed of bloggers the bite is gone from the plus-size community.

I was there in 2004 in which some pretty inflammatory comments were made to me being a man in this industry, by the ladies who felt that I had nothing to say about fashion and that I must be some sort of fat fetish stalker type. There were even a few comments that stated that the fat fashion blog world should be gay goth types only. Not only did I disagree with this but I was not ashamed to speak out on it.

Just because younger bloggers like Marie Denee over at the Curvy Fashionista are not pissed off 24/7 does not mean they do not have a voice to go along with a sense of style for the plus size woman. Just because I am not a gay male *insert stereotype* does not mean I do not have something to say about the plus size fashion that I see everyday when I watch my wife get dressed.

In 2004, plus-size blogging looked very different from what it is today

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Full Figure Plus started off just posting shopping links. I quickly discovered the world of plus size blogging was about so much more than just shopping for clothes. There is size acceptance, size discrimination, modeling, health and fitness, nutrition, maternity, teen issues, women’s issues in addition to shopping. Furthermore, when it comes to being a responsible blogger accountable to your readership if all your entire blog focuses on being the “pissed of fat girl” then after a while you will burn out. If militant size acceptance is the foundation of your movement and you never leave the bottom floor then at some point you will be left behind and not looked at as relevant to the conversation.

In the nine years of the life of this blog there have been some ups and some downs. What has remained constant is the evolution of my writing to grow with the plus size community. Additionally, this blog is a business, not a hobby. I think that is were the biggest disconnect is happening at. The reason some communities like those on Live Journal and some of the blogs that started and failed their was no vision beyond the latest “I’m pissed off and you better listen to me by damn”. When someone did have a vision beyond that they were typically branded as a sell out and ousted from the inner circle. The in-fighting was brutal and still exists to this day. The only difference in today versus nine years ago is the Internet and the world has a front row seat to the fights that have always happened, but got no media attention.

Thank goodness for social media, which gave plus-size fashion a big boost by bringing the conversation out of the shadows and into the mainstream conversation. Those critics both in and outside of the plus-size fashion community are just missing the point in my opinion that the community has not lost its political teeth. Those teeth are showing in the fierce clothes the ladies and some men are wearing and not apologizing for wearing clothes that are trendy.

I am a political junkie. In politics bloggers lead campaigns to help try and change what is broken. If most of the female population is plus-size and the retailers are still not conforming to this reality that is what broken looks like.

I shopped at a few sites for her Christmas, & birthday the last few months. The retailers have plus sizes yet they are not using plus size models to show case their products. I see that as an issue that should be fixed by those that know the business and have a platform.

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